D-Day +62y

Sixty-two years ago on this day, the Allied Forces launched Operation Overlord: the invasion of Normady. The operation succeeded but at heavy cost. The Allies suffered 200,000 casualties, including over 50,000 deaths, in the next three months. I cannot imagine having the bravery of those men who risked their lives on that horrible morning. I can be grateful and remember their sacrifice for our country and the rest of the world.

Here is General Patton’s D-Day speech to the troops before the invasion. You certainly won’t hear generals talking like him anymore. One of the better lines:

“Each man must not only think of himself, but of his buddy fighting beside him. We don’t want yellow cowards in this army. They should all be killed off like flies. If not they will go back home after the war and breed more cowards. The brave men will breed brave men. Kill off the goddamn cowards and we’ll have a nation of brave men.”

Yeah, well even though Patton has been immortalized in film and is definitely one of the most colorful generals of the war, by far Omar Bradley was a much more effective and skillful general. Patton was much more of a self-promoter and he’s wildly over-rated.